§ Mr. Tierneyasked the Attorney-General if the Lord Chancellor will convene a sentencing conference with a view to achieving a more consistent practice, where possible, on the level of fines imposed for excessive speeding offences by magistrates' courts in different parts of the United Kingdom.
§ The Attorney-GeneralMy noble Friend appreciates the value of conferences of magistrates in achieving a desirable level of consistency in sentencing policies in the fields of both traffic and other offences. Such conferences are already held regularly throughout the country, arranged generally in joint consultation between my noble Friend and his Department, the local magistrates' courts committees and benches, and the Magistrates' Association.